The Hanseatic League, an alliance that promoted the commercial interests of several German and northern European cities, moved its offices from Bruges to Antwerp in 1553. The cargo carried by their ships consisted chiefly of grain, wood, beeswax, pelts, fish, cloth, wine and beer. The prestigious Hansa House was erected in the years 1564–68 on the current site of the MAS. The city donated the land and paid for a third of the cost. The cellar and ground floor served as storage space, while the two other floors were used by merchants as offices and accommodation. English and Dutch traders gradually ousted the German merchants in the second half of the sixteenth century. By the end of the century the German merchants had left the city.
